Grain-dump.



W. E. & P. I. MERRITT.

GRAIN DUMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.26,1909.

9 26,6655. Patented Jan, 11,1910.

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\VYILEY E. MERRITI AND FRANCIS I. MERRITT, OF PONCA, NEBRASKA.

GRAIN-DUMP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WYLEY E. MERRITT and FRANCIS I. MERRITT, citizens of the United States, residing at Ponca, in the county of Dixon, State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Dumps; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in hoisting and dumping apparatus and more particularly to the type employed for hoisting grain, ore and the like to any desired elevation to dump the load in a chute vessel or the like.

One object of the invention is the provision of a structure up which a car or elevator may be lifted while lying in a horizontal plane.

Another object is the provision of an improved form of car or elevator which is designed to automatically dump its load upon arriving at the end of its journey.

WVith these and other objects in view as will more fully hereinafter appear, the present invention consists in certain novel details of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the device may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification: Figure l is a side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a top plan thereof. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan. Fig. 4; is a rear end View.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

The device consists essentially in a base frame from which rises a pair of inclined tracks one of which is disposed below the other, and a car or elevator having wheels at either end of its opposite sides which are adapted to run on the tracks, the distance between the two wheels of either side being the same as the distance between the upper Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 25, 1909.

Patented Jan. 11, 1910.

Serial No. 485,800.

sides of the track, this structure will permit the car or elevator to occupy a horizontal position during its travel on the tracks.

The base frame consists of the side sills 5 and 6, the opposite ends of which are connected by the cross sills 7 and 8-. From what will subsequently be termed the forward end of the frame rises a pair of vertical standards 9 and 10 disposed on the opposite outer faces of the said sills and adjacent their front ends. Rising from the point adjacent the rear end of the base frame to the upper ends of the standards 9 and 10 are the inclined track rails 11 and 12 and rising from the intermediate portion of the base frame to a point beneath the rails 11 and 12 is a second track consisting of the inclined rails 13 and 14, these latter are disposed directly beneath the rails 11 and 12 and are parallel with the same. The upper ends of the rails 18 and 14 terminate in horizontal extensions 15 and 16, each projecting at right angles to the standards 9 and 10 and extend for a considerable distance in advance of the lat ter. Suitable braces 17 and 18 have their opposite ends connected to the outer ends of the horizontal extensions 15 and 16 and to the upper ends of either of the standards 9 and 10 or the top rails 11 and 12.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have provided a device upon which the car or elevator about to be described, may travel to perform its dumping function.

The car or elevator in the present instance is shown to be of a box-like structure designated by the numeral 19. What will subsequently be termed the front end 20 is provided with a dumping door 21. The latter forms the lower half of the end 20 and is connected thereto by means of hinges 22. A. suitable locking bolt 23 projects from the intermediate portion of the lower side of the door 21 and fits into a longitudinal slot 2 1 formed in the bottom of the car. The locking bolt 23 is of a length considerably greater than the thickness of the bottom so that when it is in position as shown, its free end will project beyond the lower face of the bottom.

A suitable keeper designated by the numeral 25 is pivoted to the lower face of the bottom adjacent the recess 24:. This keeper is provided with a shank portion the outer end of which terminates in an enlarged head 26 having an inclined side 27. The disposition of the keeper is such that its pivotal point 28 lies in alinement but to the rear of the slot or recess 2a, owing to the length of the keeper, which is considerably greater than the distance between its pivotal point and the edge of the bottom, the end of its head portion will project in advance of the end of the car bottom while the inner end of its head will lie substantially flush with the edge of the bottom. hen the keeper is swung to one side of the recess the door 21 may be closed, the bolt 23 then being permitted to pass into the recess. In this position the keeper may be moved to a position in alinement with the slot, this movement brings the inner end of its head over the outer end of the recess whereby the locking bolt will be prevented from leaving the recess.

By referring now to the drawings it will be seen that the strip 29 has its opposite ends secured to the lower face of the horizontal extensions 15 and 16 of the lower inclined rails 13 and 1 1. In the present instance the position of this strip is substantially intermediate of the ends of the horizontal extensions, although it will be readily understood that the strip may be applied to any portion of the said extensions, according to the position desired to have a car or elevator occupy before dumping. Projecting from the upper face of the strip 29 is a tripping lug 30, which projects sufficiently far upward to engage the slant side 27 of the head 26'of the keeper, thus during the progress of the car and when the latter has reached a point where the tripping bolt engages the keeper, further movement of the car will result in the slant side 27 of the keeper running along the tripping bolt, whereby the keeper will be swung from engagement with the locking bolt and the dumping door released.

In order that the elevator or car may remain in a horizontal position during its travel up the tracks and to automatically tilt at the terminal of its journey after the tripping bolt has disengaged the keeper, the following construction is employed: A pair of wheels 31 and 32 are secured to each side and adjacent either end of the car body 19. These wheels are journaled on shafts 33 which project outwardly from the outer face of the sides, and journaled on the shafts on the outer faces of the rear wheels are pulleys 3 1-. The wheels are disposed in the same horizontal plane and the distance between their vertical centers is substantially the same as the distance between the upper sides of the in clined tracks, owing to this construction the car body will occupy a horizontal position during its excursion up the inclined tracks and when the front wheels 32 which bear on the lower tracks, arrive at the end of the latter and run on the horizontal extensions 15 and 16, further movement will, owing to the rear wheels bearing on the upper tracks cause the car body to tilt as shown in the drawings. Directly before this tilting of the car takes place the tripping bolt will have disengaged the keeper from the locking bolt and freed the door as before explained, now as the tilting of thecar increases its contents will force the door open and exit through the opening.

Any improved means may be employed to lift the car up the tracks and in the present instance a double tackle is employed, one end of each tackle being secured to a suitable fastening at the upper end of each standard, each tackle is then reeved around the pulleys 34: and again through the fastening and thence through a similar block 36 at the lower end of each standard, and thence to the draft animals. A suitable derrick and Windlass may be employed to tilt the front end of a wagon filled with grain, so that the latter may run into the car when the car is at the bottom of the incline.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have provided a construction which is comparatively simple, embodying few parts and these so arranged that the danger of derangement is reduced to a minimum.

Having thus described our invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. In a hoisting and dumping apparatus the combination with a base frame, of a pair of vertical standards secured thereto, an inclined track rising from the opposite end of the base frame to the upper ends of the standards, a second inclined track disposed below and in a plane parallel with the first named track, a horizontal track extension at the upper terminal of the second inclined track, an elevator provided on each of its opposite sides with a pair of wheels lying in the same horizontal plane and adapted to run on said tracks, the structure being such that when the wheels at one end of the elevator bear on the horizontal track extensions the wheels at the opposite end of the elevator by ascending the upper inclined track will tilt the last-named end of the elevator upwardly.

2. In a hoisting and dumping apparatus the combination with a base frame supporting upper and lower inclined tracks lying in the same plane; of an elevator having a pair of wheels on each of its opposite sides to run 011 said tracks, a swinging door at the front end of said elevator and means combined with said tracks for actuating said door to open.

3. In a hoisting and dumping apparatus the combination with a base frame supporting upper and lower inclined tracks lying in the same plane and a horizontal extension atthe upper end of the lower of said tracks, tension to' actuate said keeper to release of an elevator having a pair of Wheels on the door.

each of its opposite sides lying in a hori- In testimony whereof, We aifix our signazontal plane and adapted to r11?1 on said tures in presence of tWo Witnesses. 5 inclined tracks and tilt When t e Wheels WVYLEY E. MERRITT. at one end of said elevator bear on the said FRANCIS I. MERRITL horizontal extension, a pivoted door at one end of said elevator, a keeper for holding Witnesses:

said door in closed position and a tripping ED WILKINSON, 10 member combined with said horizontal ex- R. H. POMEROY. 

